The Dragon heart
by Frozen Pineapplez
Summary: Takes place after season 2 episode 18. Jake is crushed by Rose's absence, and asks Fu for a favor.. JakexRose, Jake x Rose, American Dragon
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Recently I watched the JLAM fantastic cartoon, and I loved it! I just couldn't get enough of Jake and Rose! The ending left me hungry for more, so here I am :) The story will take place after the episode 18 of season 2(The episode, in which Jake wished for Rose to never be a part of the Huntsman clan) I'll do my best, please review and follow if you like it :) Cheers!

It was raining. It's been heavily pouring since that day. A month passed since the huntsman clan was taken down, along with Rose losing her memories. It was a rough month for anyone who knew Jake. He avoided everyone, ignored all questions about how he is, and kept any communication to a minimum. He stayed true to his dragon responsibilities, even with no evil clan around, there was plenty of work. Jake spent most of his time alone, and only those whose hearts were shattered to a million pieces can imagine the agony he was in. On the outside, he seemed indifferent at most, he did his best to keep worries about him to a minimum, so eventually his close ones just accepted his new self, and just gave him the space he needed…

Jake was walking down the familiar road to school, at 3 o'clock in the morning. He wasn't getting much sleep, if any at all. He took a liking to these night walks. He would spend hours under the rain, going nowhere in particular, or watching the city from some roof. This time he went to school, again. He spent more time here at night, than during the day. He transformed, and flew to the roof. After transforming back, he found a stash he hid here a while back. It had a tea pot, some tea, a rose and a few cups. He wasn't sure why he had more than one cup, maybe deep inside, he was hoping for some company, even if he didn't admit it, even to himself. He made a fire under an improvised shelter of a table that was always there, and went to watch the city while waiting for tea. He leaned on the stone edge, and buried his head in his hands.

He didn't know how long he stood there for, but after a while he heard a familiar voice: "Hey kid…". He didn't look behind him, and just replied: "Hey Fu". Fu was the only one he really felt like talking to, even if he avoided him as well. But this time he felt ready to talk to someone. He turned around, and said: "I'm actually glad to see you Fu. Would you like some tea? Nothing fancy like the one you and gramps make, but I like it." Fu nodded, and replied "Relax kid, just because I can make the best tea in China, doesn't mean I like it" He smiled faintly at Jake. Jake started preparing the tea, while talking to Fu. "I remember the last time we were here, after that whole Krylock muffins incident" Jake smiled a bit. Fu chuckled and replied "Yeah, we made a lot of noise back then kid. The "rooftop meeting" reason was the same though. I won't ask again if you're holding up, but let me know if there is anything you need" He put his paw on Jake's shoulder. Jake took the two tea cups, and went to other side of the roof, to the self-made tent he made a few weeks ago. It was big enough for a table and a few chairs, which he also brought here, for reasons unknown to him. He set the cups on the table, and sat down. Fu tried the tea, and chuckled again "Kid, if you ever give up your whole dragon business, you'd make a great tea maker. And that's coming from ME! Hehe" Jake smiled and took a sip. He liked it, Jasmine tea with a few rose petals. They sat there in silence for a bit, the Jake finally spoke "Fu, can I ask you for a favor" Fu looked at him, a little worried "Sure kid, whadda ya need?" Jake tapped the table for a bit, then said "I want you to wipe my memory"

Fu chocked on his tea, and was clearly about to shout something, but then paused for a moment. He suddenly got a serious, sad expression. He spoke quietly then "I'm guessing you don't want all of your memories wiped, but the part about a certain individual" Jake nodded and replied "Not just a part. Every memory of her, of us. I can't take it anymore Fu. It's so painful to even think about losing memories of her, but it's unbearable anyway. I don't think I'll ever get over her, and I know we can't be together the way things are right now. I won't ruin her life for my sake, this is the life she wanted so badly, and I won't get in the way." Jake threw his head back, and let the rain pour on his face. Fu was massaging eyes with his paw, a lot of things going through his head. Maybe he should've talked to gramps about this, maybe he should try to talk Jake out of this. But he didn't want to. "I'll help you kid, and this time, I even have all the ingredients. So any time you're ready, we can go to the shop. But I have to ask. Do you really want this? Memories of loved ones are as painful, as they are beautiful, there were good moments in your relationship. Are you SURE you want to let it all go?" Jake didn't move for a while, rain caressing his face, then he finally looked at Fu, with a smile, and replied "Fu, I can't start describing how thankful I am to have you as my friend. You've been there when no one else was, you helped me find Rose, and told me to not give up on her. And the moments we had with here were out of this world. That was the happiest time of my life, nights and nights with her. With no fear of being caught, or that we have to go anywhere… I have you to thank for that. But the void she left, is just as big as the joy she brought, probably way bigger even. I can't, Fu. I want to move on. It's the only way." Fu took a long sigh, and replied "Man, this tea is reeeeally good. Rose petals are a nice touch, when it's all over, don't forget the recipe. Let's go kid, to the shop it is"


	2. Chapter 2

It was raining. Jake and Fu got to the shop rather quickly. Jake hung his jacket and followed Fu into the next room. Gramps wasn't around, probably asleep on the second floor. Fu ran through the book shelf, until he found a dark green, ancient-looking book and set in on the table. He easily found the needed page, and glanced at the ingredients. He didn't really need to do any of it though. He knew the recipe all too well. He used it a few times before, and every time it brought him great sadness. He was just stalling at this point, not really wanting to do this. Then he finally spoke: "Ok then, I have most of the ingredients here, except one." Jake nodded and asked "Which is?" Fu sighed "Your most precious thing associated with Rose" Jake's eyes widened for a second, but he understood. He nodded and said "Ok then, give me an hour and I'll be back with the 'ingredient'" Fu replied "You do that, kid, and I'll prepare the potion by the time you get back". Jake spoke then "One last thing, after this is over, please tell everyone this whole plan of ours, if I tell anyone, they'll do their best to stop me from going through. Can you do that?" Fu gave him a faint smile "Sure, kid. I understand" Jake barely smiled, got his jacket and walked out the door. Fu kept sitting there, his smile melting to a look of deep sadness, listening to the fading sound of the wind chime. He heard steps behind him, and then a voice "Ayaaah, why must you go out of your way to avoid my council." Lao Shi walked in, and sat on the opposite side of the table. Fu didn't even look at him, but kept watching the chime "Hey, old friend. Why didn't you walk in? I know you've been here and heard everything. Maybe you'd do a better job of helping that me." Lao Shi slowly shook his head "We both know too well, that the American Dragon rarely heeds to the advice of his master. He does, but usually way too late. Besides, I do not think that he needs council right now. He needs a friend. I may not completely approve of this potion, but perhaps it will help Jake." Fu looked at Lao Shi, then looked at the floor, and thought to himself "It sure helped you, old friend…" Lao Shi, gracefully got up, and said "Good luck with the potion my friend. And please don't make a mess as big as the last time you brewed it" He winked at Fu, and walked to his room. Fu chuckled softly, and started to prepare the potion that he invented a long time ago, for his closest friend, Lao Shi…

Jake carefully flew into his window, and took a look at the room. There were all kinds of Rose's pictures on the walls, on the table, near his bed. Some of her things were kept in his desk, like her T'shirt and some silly gifts she gave him. He got a box from under his bed, and started slowly packing. Taking down every picture was like tearing a little piece of himself away. He looked at every picture before putting it in the box, with a sad loving smile on his face. He knew that the thing needed for the potion wasn't laying around anywhere, because he never took it off. The dream charm that Rose gave him, the way for them to spend time together. He got a habit of fumbling with it quite often, it gave him a little piece when he did that. Giving it up meant giving up the way of reaching her, but it was the point of this whole damn potion anyway. He finally closed the box, and looked at his room again. It looked so empty now, just the way he felt inside. He was just about to fly out the window, when he heard the door squeak. He looked, and saw his little sister. Her head was wet for some reason. She softly spoke "Hey Jakie. I know what you're going to do now, I followed you all the way to school. I don't blame you. I miss her too. I kind of liked her, you were so happy together. Just know, that we're all here, and we care about you too, you big dummy." Jake smiled, and answered "Thanks Haley. It'll be ok tomorrow, I'll be myself again." Haley cocked her head to the side "Not really. You are giving a big part of yourself. But I hope it will, I really hope it will. Good luck" Jake nodded, and flew out.

Fu added the troll belches into the pot, making the potion almost ready. He sat down, and just hoped that Jake would take as long as possible. But as fate would have it, the wind chimes sang their song just then, a little sadder than usual. Jake walked in with a carton box, and set it on the table next to the pot. "So here are all of the things related to her that I had." Fu nodded and asked "Ok kid, is the thing in the box?" Jake paused for a second, then reached for the bracelet on his hand " Not really… It's actually here, on my hand…" He slowly took it off, and took a few seconds to look at it. Flashbacks of his time with Rose flooded his mind, and he dropped it in the pot, feeling his heart shatter. With a tiny splash, the bracelet was gone in the light blue, neon like fluid in the pot. After a small puff, a cloud of smoke came from the pot, and Jake wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Rose's face in the cloud as it evaporated. Fu closed his eyes for a second, and poured the liquid into a tiny vial. He corked it, and reluctantly gave it to Jake. "This is it, kid. Drink all of it before sleep, and tomorrow, you'll wake up with no trace of her in your life" Jake reached for the vial, and put it in his pocket. Before he could say anything, Fu spoke "Don't thank me for this one, kid. I just hope that I won't have to brew this thing ever again. What do you want me to do with the box?" Jake thought for a second. "Anything you want. Burn it, throw it to the ocean, feed it to a whale. I wouldn't have the courage to do that. Bye Fu, I'll see you tomorrow." He quickly left, and flew home. Fu looked at the box, pondering. He then took it somewhere deep in the shop, with all kinds of artefacts and secrets. He chained the box, put a lock, and an invisible spell on it. He wasn't really hoping to ever open it, but just in case THAT happened, it would be good to have it here.

Jake was sitting in his bed, looking at the glowing vial. He was recollecting all of his moments with Rose, and finally, with a tear dropping from his eyes, he drank the whole thing, and lay down. "Goodbye, Rose" He instantly fell asleep, and had a wonderful dream. He was at the homecoming dance floor, with no one around. He sat down at the nearest table, looking around. Suddenly, a beautiful girl came in through the main entrance. She was wearing a blue dress, which matched her sky-blue eyes. Her blonde hair was falling down to her shoulders like a waterfall. She looked around, perplexed. Their eyes finally met, and they both felt great warmth in their chests. Jake walked to her, and said "Hey there" "Hey yourself" was her reply, they both stood there for a minute, just looking at each other. Then Jake finally asked "Would you like to dance?" She smiled "I'd love to". And so they did, they danced like it was the last dance in their lives. At last, Jake felt brave enough to kiss her, he gently pulled her to him, and they slowly moved towards each other, eyes closed. Their faces were now just an inch apart…

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! The alarm woke Jake up instantly, and he groaned "Aw maaaaaan!" That was such a dang sweet dream! At least I think it was… I don't really remember what it was about… Well, whatever, time to get up anyway"

Just then, another person had the same dream. Somewhere far away, a girl with a magic bracelet on her hand woke up, and smiled. "Aw why did I have to wake up… Such a lovely dance… Aw maaaaan…" She was in a car, with her mother driving. "Aw hey sweetie, you're awake. Nice dream? And what's with that "aw maaan" thing, you never say that!" "I don't know mom, just felt like it…"

Thanks for the reviews guys! I was happy to see anyone at all read JLAD fanfictions so long after it's release, so I'll definitely keep em coming! Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

Jake opened his door, and at the same time Hayley's door flung open. Hayley's expression was a little worried, Jake didn't notice though. He took a racing stand, preparing to bolt for the bathroom. Hayley was so surprised, that she stood there for a second, even after Jake took off. Jake looked over his shoulder and smirked

"Yo, you're way too slow for the Am Drag, sis!"

Just then, their parents room opened, and Jake crashed into the now open door. Hayley couldn't help bursting into laughter, and then she sped past Jake, and locked herself in the bathroom.

"Who's way too slow now, brother?" she said, laughing.

"Salute me familia!" Jake's father was smiling

"It seems you kids are back to the usual morning shenanigans! Alright then, I'll go and try to make breakfast!" He cheerfully walked downstairs, as Jake was rubbing his forehead.

"Aw maaaan…" Jake knew that now he had at least 15 minutes before the bathroom would open again, so he walked back to his room and crashed on the bed. He was feeling a bit upset, though he couldn't quite put the finger on what it was that upset him. He quickly pushed the feeling away, and started packing for school.

At breakfast, the family seemed a little more lively than usual. Jake's father spoke

"Well Jakie, I am glad that you are feeling better, I still don't know what got into you for the last month, but as long it is over, I am happy." He smiled at his son

"I dunno, just had a lot on my mind, I guess." Jake knit his eyebrows a bit.

Jake's mother and sister knew of course what was the reason for that behavior, and the reason of it's disappearance. They wanted to say something, finally talk to Jake, but they couldn't find the words. Finally, his mom spoke

"I'm happy that you're ok now son. We love you very much" She hugged Jake

"Mooooom, come ooon, so not cool!" Jake said that, but he was actually enjoying his mother's embrace. He would never of course admit it out loud.

His father got up, kissed everyone on the cheek and said

"Well, I'm off, see you all at dinner. Have a nice day!" And he walked out.

Jake put his platter away, said his thanks and went upstairs to get his things. His mom and sister were still sitting there, quietly drinking tea.

"Well, he seems OK at least…" Hayley whispered in a sad voice

"Yeah…" her mother replied

"Poor Jakie… and we can't even say anything!" Hayley was spinning the cup on the table

"It's fine, it was his decision. We can't do much right now, so we'll just have to let him be." Her mother said as she finished her tea

"I know, but still…"

"Yo Hayley, you ready yet? I'll be late if you don't speed up!"

"Coming!" Hayley kissed her mom on the cheek, and ran after Jake.

"Bye kids, take care! I love you!"

"Bye mom!"

It was raining. The intensity subsided, but the sun was still hidden behind the clouds. Due to the sun not appearing for such a long time, the magical world of New York was in turmoil, due to a lot of evil creatures that couldn't stand the sunrays were able to walk freely, causing mayhem here and then. But Jake was able to deal with hooligans rather quickly, and alone at that. He preferred to go alone for the past month, getting only information from gramps and Fu, and denying their attempts to go with him, no matter how dangerous things were.

For now, though, he had school to worry about. As always, he WAS late. He rushed through corridors, and finally reached the needed door. Inside, professor Rotwood was already lecturing the class, and was obviously angry at being interrupted by his most unfavorite student.

"Jake Long! Seems you finally decided to shine your light upon us, and join us for a class! Where have you been for the past month?! No matter, I will discuss the matters with you parents later, go to your seat, NOW!" He slammed a ruler against a table as he finished.

"Aw maaaaaan…" Jake walked to his seat. From behind him, he heard Spud's voice

"Hey man, whats up? We heard what happened with you and Ro…" a dull _thud_ was heard, as if someone was punched "Aw, right… with your … eh… roller skating! Is it true than you want to change to that from skateboard?" Spud was rubbing his side and glaring at Trixie sitting next to him.

Jake cocked an eyebrow "What the what now? Who told ya that junk?"

"Well, uh, just, you know… streets?" Spud shrugged

"Well tell to whoever said that, that The Jake is true to his board, and will show up anyone who says otherwise!"

"Right, you got it!" Spud wiped his forehead, and relaxed on the chair.

After school, Jake went to meet Fu and Gramps at the shop. The familiar sound of chimes greeted him before anyone else. He didn't see anyone in the first room.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Jake shouted

"Hey kid, we're here" Fu replied from the second room.

Jake followed the voice, and saw Fu and his grandpa sitting on the table, drinking tea.

"Yo, whaddup? The Am Drag is in the house! Any baddies than need a lesson taught by the dragon master today?"

Fu forced himself to smile, though inside he was sad for the kid. "Well isn't someone in a good mood today! No mischiefs for now, care for some tea?"

Jake sat down, and took a sip, and exclaimed "This is good! What-in-it?"

"Jasmine tea with rose petals" Fu replied

Jake frowned for a second, as if trying to remember something, then shook his head

"Well, I like it! So do we just train today then? Or can I go out with Trixie and Spud?"

Lao Shi pondered for a moment, then answered

"If you want to, today you can relax and skip a day in training, I will allow it. I'll even give you some cash for the movies." He winked at Jake

"Yo, thanks gramps! This isn't like you, but I won't stick around for you to change your mind! Later!" Gramps threw him a small pouch, and Jake ran out into the rain.

"Well, looks like things worked out for the better after all! Young dragon seems to be back in good spirits, and things will likely go back to normal. It is good." Said Lao Shi, stroking his beard.

Fu said nothing.

"Well, I'm off to my afternoon nap, look after the shop for now, will you Fu?"

"Sure, sure."

Fu stayed there, watching the rose petals slowly drown in the glass tea pot. At last, he closed his eyes and whispered into the silent room

"I'm sorry kid…"

AN: Thanks for all the feedback guys! Your reviews, favorites and private messages mean the world to me, thank you so much for your kind words. I will keep writing as often as I can, and as always, any and all feedback is most appreciated. Cheers!


	4. Chapter 4

"Honey, would you like to go skiing with us this year? We plan on France this time."

"Well, I wanted to stay and spend time with my new friends. They seem nice. Kind of."

"Aw come on, it's going to be fun! We'd love to have you with us!"

"Well… OK, do you know where's my pink hat? I can't find it anywhere…"

It's been a few months since Jake took the potion, and since then his life eventually got back on track. His relationship with friends and family turned back to normal. There was no trace of the depressive state he was in. Just some nights, he would lay in his bed, listening to the calming sound of rain, feeling a little sad for an unknown reason. Other than that, he was fine.

Jake was out with his Gramps and Fu on a weekend trip to a waterfall, for his new training.

"Young Dragon, today you will practice a high level flying skill, with a simple name- loop." Lao Shi said, stroking his beard. Jake wasn't doing a good job of listening though, he was taking in the beautiful sight that lay before him. They were standing on top of the waterfall, the noise of crashing water beneath them could barely be heard, from this height. And all around them was THE jungle. The breathtaking mixture of tropical flowers, trees, vines, birds singing, and that special WILD feeling the jungle gave. Jake was brought back to earth by a light smack on the head.

"Ow! OK OK, I'm listening!"

Lao Shi shook his head, and repeated the technical process and tips. He then transformed, and proceeded to demonstrate. He gracefully sped upwards, then folded his wings. He tilted backwards, and started falling at an alarmingly high speed. And just before he hit the water, he managed to open his wings. After making a circle, he landed beside Jake, with a smug on his face.

"For a first time, do not go that high, it will take you practice to maneuver at that speed, start with no more than the height of this waterfall."

Jake was ready to take the full challenge though. "Pff, piece of cake for the Am Drag, watch me! Dragon UP!" And he was off. He went higher and higher, even higher than gramps. Paying no attention to gramps shouting, he closed his eyes and his wings. After a half somersault, he started diving. He reached a speed higher even than gramps. He waited, and when he thought it was time, he tried to open his wings. The pressure was too high though, and he only managed to slow himself before the impact. And with a SPLASH, he was gone. Gramps immediately transformed and flew after him. Jake was nowhere to be seen. After a few seconds, he surfaced, seemingly unconscious. Lao Shi carefully grabbed him by the shirt, and took him back to their camp.

Fu was nervously pacing, waiting for Jake to come around. At last, Jake opened his eyes.

"Aw maaaan, my whole body hurts." He groaned as he tried to turn over.

"You are lucky to be in one piece. Lucky for you, we dragons are tough. But even your scales won't save you from an impact like that. Do try to be more responsible, young dragon. No more flying for today, you need to heal." Lao Shi looked displeased.

"Here kid, have some tea while I make something to eat. It's your favorite." Fu carefully set a cup near Jake, and went away to start a fire.

"Thanks Fu… Sorry gramps, it turned out harder than I thought it would"

"You need to take a lot of things into account when doing the loop. The wind, the weather, even your weight, if you are with something or someone else. Do pay attention to these things. And you need a more realistic look at your own strength. Overestimating yourself is just as dangerous as underestimating your enemy. No more talk now, lay there and think about these things."

It took Jake a week to fully recover, he could go to school but dragon business was too much for him. Lao Shi took care of the little trouble that appeared in these days.

At Lao Shi's shop.

"Well, I think I'm ready gramps! My dragon form feels fine, I can fly and fight again." Said Jake as he stretched.

"Good, because a serious mission came up. The French dragon has requested our aid. Something serious came up, and he is currently in no condition to deal with that."

"Ooooh, le France! I'm ready, so when are we moving out?" said Jake as he kept stretching.

"The next week. And so is your entire class. The French Dragon's family owns a few Ski resorts, and he was kind enough to let you and your class have a school trip there, as a cover for you."

"Awesome! Aw I'm gonna rock these mountains! I have so many moves I wanna try on the snowboard, I…" He noticed Lao Shi's serious expression. "… And of course help with whatever the French dragon wants help with! Right …"

Fu laughed, while Lao Shi just shook his head.

A week later, in a bus somewhere in France.

"Listen up, kids! This is a very high class resort, so do act accordingly! If I hear of any trouble you lot are causing, I will immediately send him home. Understood?!" Rotwood was very excited to get to this resort himself, but he had to keep the kids in check, which was a drag in these circumstances.

The class muttered some approval, which was good enough for Rotwood.

"Well, kids, here we are!"

The bus rode through the gates, and everyone was glued to the windows. It WAS a luxury resort!

Huge wooden houses were scattered all over the place, with a big hotel in the middle. It looked more like a fantasy village, than a resort. Every house looked unique, with different carvings on each one. Some had animals, others were covered in magic creatures, a few even had dragons. Carvings were extremely well made, and felt like portals to different worlds. The road went up, to the hotel, which was wooden on the outside, as well. On the side, there was a carving of a giant dragon fighting a phoenix. Further, the huge mountain was peeking over the buildings, like a mighty titan watching over the village.

Rotwood was the first to jump out of the bus, and was giggling like a school girl.

"Yes, now this is what a renowned scientist like me deserves! I will have so much fun here, I should go to the hotel right away!" He started moving towards the entrance, when he remembered something

"Aw, right, the kids…" He turned around and shouted "Out of the bus, everyone! Form a line, and I will give each of you your keys. There is no need for a ski pass here, if you ARE here, you are free to do anything you wish that the resort provides. Do stay in groups, and inform one of the elders when you are going anywhere, whether it is skiing or sauna, got it?" He then started handing out the keys, with respective numbers.

Jake was enjoying the view, the cold fresh air, the many choices cool things that this place offered. Spud and Trixie were standing before him in the line, and he heard Rotwood say

"Trixie, room 347, Spud, 348…"

"Cool! Hey Trixie, we're neighbors!"

"Right… Yay…" Trixie looked somewhat worried, Jake even thought she blushed for a second, though it may have been the cold.

Professor looked for Jake's key, then frowned at it

"Well this is a weird number, D1, well, it's the one you get so go on then!"

Jake studied his key. The keychain was in the form of a dragon head. He shrugged, and followed Trixie and Spud into the hotel. After Trixie and Spud found out from the reception where their rooms were, he asked about his room.

"Aw, young man, this is not a key from a room. It is a key to one of the private houses! Let me see… D1, yes, go left from the exit, and go straight. The last house will be the one you need, it has a Dragon carved on it."

"Wohoo! Thanks!" Jake wanted to call Spud and Trixie, but they were already gone. He had no choice but to go alone for now.

As he was half way to his destination, he turned around to look at the giant carving of the dragon and phoenix again. He liked it. Just then he saw a car park in front. A man and a woman got out, and started getting their things. He was about to keep on walking, when he saw a girl get out from the back seat. She had a white winter jacket, with a pink hat and pink muffins. Even from this distance and without dragon eyes he could tell that she was beautiful. She seemed to notice him, and he quickly turned around and kept walking. He was excited for some reason. He wanted to see her again, as soon as possible.

And he would.

AN: Hope you liked this chapter, please comment on what you think about the story in general. Cheers! :D


	5. Chapter 5

Jake knew which house was his, before he even got close enough to read the number on the door. On the roof was a wooden statue of a sleeping Chinese dragon. He liked it, somehow it warmed his heart. The house itself was pretty big, compared even to the other ones in the village. With two floors, a veranda, and a balcony on the second floor it looked more like a villa, than a wooden shack that you would expect from a rented place meant for short stays. It looked really cozy, Jake caught himself thinking that he would like to live in a similar house someday. He walked to the door, stumped on the door mat a few times to shake the snow off, and opened it. Jake couldn't help but smile when he looked around. It looked so comfy and warm, even if at the moment it was pretty cold inside.

There were two rooms on the first floor. To the left of the door, was a huge room with a fireplace. A big white sofa and a big white armchair were near the fireplace, with a big white furred carpet between them. A big wooden table near the window, with a bench and two stools surrounding it. The walls were covered in paintings of mythical creatures, all with happy expressions. To the right of the entrance was a spacious kitchen, which made Jake think of all those cooking shows his mom loved to watch. The interior of the kitchen was wooden, matching the theme of the of the house. Jake hung his jacket on the rack near the door, took of his warm clothes and crashed at the sofa, finally relaxing after the long trip.

He then noticed a letter beside him, which read

" _Dear Jake, thank you for coming on such short notice, I hope you like the accommodations I have prepared for you, feel free to relax and enjoy yourself today. Tomorrow, please meet me at the main building's roof, at sunset._

A. "

Jake thanked in his mind whoever this A. was, and decided that he had to show Trixie and Spud this place as soon as possible, they would like it. He also really wanted to see that girl again, maybe even talk to her! He got a radio out of his pocket, turned it on, and pushed the button on the side

"This is Fire Lord, Trixter, Magician, do you copy?" Jake chuckled. He liked the idea of using the radios, they all felt like some spies on a secret mission. Which they kind of were.

Static came from the radio for a second, then he heard

"This is Trixter yo, I will NOT do any of that 'copy', 'over' mumbo jumbo, where you at Jakie?"

"Turns out I have an entire house for myself! I'll show you guys later, lets meet at the entrance in 20 minutes and we'll figure out what to do next, over."

"Alrighty, see you there." Then he heard some noise from the radio, as if someone was wrestling, and after a second, Spud quickly said "OVER" And it was quiet again. Jake laughed, and put the radio back in the pocket.

Near the entrance of the hotel there stood a big ice sculpture of a mermaid. Jake sat on one of the benches surrounding it, and studied the sculpture, while waiting for his friends. He impatiently tapped his foot while looking at the spinning entrance of the hotel. Finally, someone was coming out, but it wasn't Trixie or Spud, it was that pretty girl he saw earlier. He now had a chance to take a good look at her.

She really WAS beautiful, Jake doubted he has ever seen someone look so stunningly good. He was mesmerized just by looking at her. And her eyes, aw her eyes! The most magnificent frozen lakes of the world would look pale compared to her big blue eyes. There was magic in them, and not just the shiny sparkly stuff Jake had to deal on a daily basis, no, something way more powerful and charming. Jake felt his heartbeat stop, when their eyes met. She looked at him, which would've made him happy by itself, but she looked at him with interest! Like she was curious as to who he was, like she wanted to talk to him just as much as he wanted. She stopped for a second, while her parents kept walking. They just looked at each other, for just a few seconds, which felt like an eternity to Jake. Her parents (at least he thought they were her parents) then noticed that she was lagging behind, and called her. She smiled at Jake, and ran after her parents. Jake followed her with his eyes, until she was out of sight, then he let out a long sigh, and the only thing he could say, was

"Wow"

He kept sitting there, stunned. He looked at the mermaid, which he found beautiful just a few seconds ago, now she just seemed insipid to him.

It started snowing then, Jake looked up, and saw a countless number of snowflakes coming down, like all the stars started falling from the sky. He closed his eyes, and enjoyed the cool feeling of snowflakes melting on his face. Just then, he was tapped on the shoulder

"Yo Jakie, quit daydreaming! We've got a whole lot of fun to have while we're here! Aw wait… Oh I know THAT look, you just met a girl, didn't you?!" Trixie looked intrigued, full of energy as always.

"THE girl, Trixie, THE girl."

"Ooooooh, you gonna tell as everything, and tell us NOW!"

"Well… there's not much to tell, not yet. I didn't even get to talk to her, but I think they're going to the mountain to ski right now, so do you guys wanna start with that?"

"DO WE WANT TO HIT THE MOUNTAIN?! DO YOU EVEN NEED TO ASK?! LET'S GO HOMIES! LET'S SHOW THESE KIDS HOW TO SLIDE WITH STYLE!"

AN: This chapter is a little shorter, but I hope you guys like it J I'll try to keep writing a chapter a day, I'm excited to see this story as well :D As always, any feedback from you guys would be amazing. Cheers!


	6. Chapter 6

Jake was almost running back to his house, he wanted to get his gear as soon as possible, catching up to that girl was his priority number one. He quickly grabbed his board and mask, glanced at his wristwatch, and rushed outside. It was almost 6 pm, it would get dark in a few hours, he had to find her until then.

He regrouped with the gang, and they started moving towards the mountain. They walked at a pretty fast pace, which was still incredibly slow for Jake. He was holding back from just transforming into his dragon form and dashing to the destination. Spud and Trixie were chatting and laughing behind him, while his eyes were glued to the mountain.

"Dragon sight!" His eyes changed, pupils transforming to the likes of a reptile. He scanned the mountain, the people on it, and the people on the ski lift. He thought he saw the pink hat that she was wearing, but he wasn't sure. He sighed, and transformed his eyes back.

Shortly after, he was riding alone in a ski lift cabin. Trixie and Spud were riding before him. The lift was fast, which calmed down Jake a little. He decided to kill the time by checking on his gear. His new snowboard was mostly black, with a red dragon painted on the back. He wiped his mask, checked the straps on the board, and looked out the window.

The higher they got, the more breathtaking was the view. The mountain was surrounded by a forest of pine trees, and a little further, he could see a huge lake, which appeared to be frozen. He wanted to check it out at some point during this vacation, it looked so mysterious, almost magic. The sky was covered in clouds, but he could see where the sun was. It was slowly moving towards the horizon, which meant that he was running out of time. He looked forward, and was happy to see that the top was near.

He could see a few houses, like the ones back in the village, with smoke coming out of the chimneys. He figured these were some sort of restaurants and maybe some souvenirs shops. At last, he could get out of the cabin. Trixie and Spud raced to the track, while he looked around. That girl was nowhere to be seen, so he decided to have a quick ride on one of the tracks. There were 5, with increasing difficulty. Most of the people here were on tracks 1 and 2, some were riding 3 and 4. Trixie and Spud went for the third one, to get comfortable with the mountain first.

Of course, Jake went for the 5th track. No one seemed to be around this one, which made him feel pretty cool. He strapped himself to the board, put the mask on, and took a deep breath. Just as he was about to take off, he heard footsteps behind him. She was wearing a mask with pink one sided glass, so he couldn't see half of her face, but he recognized her right away.

"Hey" he said, trying not to be nervous.

"Hey yourself!" she was excited, he thought she was anxious to ride, but hoped she was happy to see him.

"Did you try this one yet?" he pretended to adjust his watch.

"Not really, no. I'm pretty sure I can handle it though." She replied, while adjusting the straps on her own board. "This one's pretty extreme, I tried 4 before this, which is considered really hard for most, I liked it. How do you like the mountain in general?" she took way too long with her straps, strapping and unstrapping, maybe she was stalling as well. At least he hoped so.

"Dunno yet! I'm starting with this one" He was finally ready, and got into position.

"Confident, are we? I like it. Let's see what you got then!" She suddenly stopped fumbling with the straps, and jumped onto the track. Jake smirked, and immediately followed.

The track was extremely steep from the start. He quickly gained speed. He watched her flawlessly maneuver the obstacles, and throwing in a few tricks here and then. He wasn't going to spend the way down watching her back though. He ducked, and started gaining on her. Then he saw the perfect opportunity- there was a snowdrift ahead. He was just a few feet away from her at this point, and as he hoped, she chose to dodge it. He used the snowdrift as a trampoline, and summersaulted over her head, landing ahead. He heard her laugh then, a cheerful, kind of "challenge accepted" laugh. He smiled himself, and pressed on.

They kept racing, showing off, at the hardest track of the mountain. They almost danced around each other, having the time of their life. When they finished 2/3 of the track, Jake was ahead. He took an opportunity to jump, and do a 360. When he was about to land from the jump, something happened. For a split second, he saw something big coming his way. Before he could process, what it was, it hit him. He was completely blown away, off the track. He heard her scream then

"JAKE!", just before he started chaotically rolling down at a deadly speed. There were no trees for the hundred meters, but he knew, that if he hit a tree at this point, he would be very lucky to survive. He tried to transform, but couldn't focus. The forest was closing in. Suddenly, he felt someone pull hard on his hood, bringing him back into upright position. He was in control again, but the forest was upon them. They had no choice, but to maneuver around trees. This turned into a race for their lives, one mistake would mean the end. She was right beside him, which somehow empowered him.

As they sped through the forest, he saw something blue amidst the trees. He realized then, that they were heading right for the lake. He couldn't know how thick the ice was, and he couldn't risk them going underwater. Finally, the forest was behind them, but they were still too fast to stop before the lake. He shouted then

"Hold on!" as he grabbed her by the waste with his right hand, while he buried his left in the snow. He transformed his left hand, and reached the earth below the snow, digging his claws into it. It hurt a lot, but he wouldn't let go. And just when they were about to hit the ice, they halted to a full stop.

They lay there, both breathing heavily. Jake lost his mask along the way, and he heard her taking off her mask. They looked at each other for a few seconds, then just burst into laughter. The tension slowly went away, as they laughed away the fear and nervousness. Finally, they sat up. She was the one to break the silence

"Well, you sure do have the skills to back up that confidence of yours" she said

"Aw come on, YOU were amazing" he replied, to which she smiled sheepishly. "What was it that hit me though? I couldn't really see"

"I'm not sure myself. Looked like some kind of… giant snowball?"

"Aw well, guess I got in the middle of a snow troll snowball fight" They both chuckled then. After a pause, she spoke

"Do you think they exist? Trolls. Well, not just trolls. All kinds of mythical beasts and creatures."

"Yes. I really do. I think there's much more to the world, than meets the eye." He said, looking into the sky.

"Me too. But it's one thing to believe, and another to actually see any proof. I'd give a lot to live in a world with magic." She sounded somewhat sad, and Jake wanted nothing more, than to transform right there and then. It took him a great deal of self-restraint, to not do just that.

"You never know, maybe someday it'll happen. Just look at this lake even, seems pretty magic to me." He said, smiling slightly. She smiled back at him, and nodded

"Yeah, it IS beautiful" she said, as she took in the sight of the lake, trees and mountains around them.

Jake could only see one beautiful thing though.

Neither of them wanted to get up, or break the silence. They both reveled in the cold, fresh and somewhat enchanting air around them, and each other's company. Jake looked at the sky, and saw the sun getting lower. He hated it, but they had to move. He spoke

"We have to…"

"I know. Do you… want to come here again? Together?"

"I'd love to. Would you?"

"I'd love to."

Hearing her say that, made Jake's chest warm. He then remembered something

"Wait, did I ever tell you that my name is Jake?"

She frowned for a second

"I'm not sure… Maybe I heard someone call you that."

"Aw" Jake got up, and lend her a hand "Well, I'm Jake. Hi there. "

She smiled, took his hand, and got up

"Hi yourself. I'm Rose"


	7. Chapter 7

It took them roughly an hour to come back to the village. They didn't talk much during the road, hiking through fresh snow was hard enough. It was dark by the time they were back. Jake walked Rose to the hotel, and they agreed to meet here tomorrow in the morning.

Jake started walking back to his house. He had that foolish smile on his face and was oblivious to the world around him. He even bumped into a few lampposts, but didn't really seem to notice it. When he reached his door, he looked at the village behind him.

The night has set, and the village looked even more mysterious now. Lampposts were emitting a soft light, but most of the place was in darkness. A few houses had lights turned on, some chimneys were puffing smoke. He looked at the many hotel windows, and wondered which one belonged to her room.

Finally, he stepped in, undressed and crashed on the couch. He decided against turning on the lights, instead he just spit a fireball into the fireplace. As the fire was getting stronger, the room was filled with the merry sound of cracking wood, and mischievous shadows started dancing on the walls.

Just as Jake was thinking of what to have for dinner, he heard a knock on the door. He got very serious, he didn't tell anyone where he stayed yet, and wasn't expecting any guests. Nevertheless, he opened the door. He didn't know the person standing before him. He was taller than Jake, wearing a blue winter jacket, red pants and red winter boots. He couldn't see his face under the hood.

"May I help you?" Jake was ready to take on this guy if he had to.

"I do hope so, after all, that is why I invited you here" He took off his hood, and smiled at Jake. He was somewhere around 20, with black hair and brown eyes. He had a kind face, and gave off a very warm vibe, so Jake relaxed, and gestured for him to come in.

He spoke as he undressed

"Sorry for bothering you today, but the matters got worse." He hung his clothes, and extended his hand to Jake

"Michael. Michael Archambault. Nice to meet you"

"Jake, Jake Long." Jake nod his head. It was a strong, manly handshake, they both respected that.

"I brought some roasted deer, along with some baked potatoes, you wanna eat? I didn't get to, today, and would be glad if you joined me." He took off his backpack, which Jake didn't notice earlier.

"Absolutely, I'm starving. I'll go set the pot for tea. Or maybe you'd like something else?"

"Tea is great, thanks. I'll take care of the rest." He walked with Jake to the kitchen, and grabbed a few plates and other utensils. He set everything on the table in the big room, and got the food out of the backpack. Meat, potatoes and some other vegetables, bread and a few small grinders with some spices. The smell quickly spread, making Jake's stomach rumble. Michael chuckled, and said

"Come on, let's dig in while it's hot"

Jake didn't need to hear that twice, and with that, they both ravaged the delicious meal. Jake stuffed his face, and for a second got self-conscious, wondered if he was being rude or something. But Michael wasn't going for fine dining either, stuffing his face even faster than Jake was. Both of them left out the vegetables, and went for meat, bread and potatoes. And just as they both let out a big sigh and rubbed their bellies, they heard the whistle from the tea pot. Jake got up, and started preparing the tea that he brought with him from home, while Michael cleaned the table.

"Man, that was delicious, I'm so full. Thanks" said Jake as he scooped tea from the metal box.

"No problem" he replied, smiling.

They finally sat down, Michael on the chair and Jake on the sofa, and slowly sipped the tea.

"Aw dude, this is great. Love the tea" said Michael "Unfortunately, I didn't come today just to eat. The matters, which brought you here, got much worse. But let me start from the beginning." He rubbed his neck, and suddenly had a very serious expression

"About a month ago, I was flying over the mountains in my dragon form. Aw, right, I'm the French Dragon, in case you wondered. Anyway, I was flying, at night, and things were as peaceful as always. Suddenly, I heard a roar, loud as a thunder. Then I saw them. Huge, white creatures, climbing the mountain. I knew right away, what they were. Trolls. Northern mountain trolls, to be exact. The biggest, and strongest of trolls. I tried to engage then, but was met with an array of giant snowballs flying my way. I had to retreat, and find them the next night. And I did. I found their cave, and went in solo. There were 5 of them. The fight was fierce, I took down 2, before one of them grabbed me by the wings and threw me against the wall. I barely escaped, having to transform into human form, and staggering to the nearest clearing to call for help. Our chopper picked me up then, and I was transferred to the nearby gnome hospital. Gnomes are real magicians, when it comes to healing, I tell you. Turns out, my wings were broken, so was one of my legs. They patched me up, but even then, I was in no condition to fly or fight. Which is when, I called for your help. I was going to talk to you tomorrow, but something happened today. Trolls never came out, except at night, and never too close to the village. Today, however, one attacked some snowboarders on the 5th path on our mountain, and I still don't know what happened to them. We have to find them as soon as possible" he looked at Jake

"Well, that part is taken care of" said Jake

Michael cocked an eyebrow

"The troll attacked me and my friend today, I was hit by a snowball. I'm fine, so is my friend"

Michael covered his eyes, as if ashamed

"Aw dude, I'm so sorry. I couldn't take care of it in time, and you got in trouble…"

"It's ok, it's ok. I didn't come here _not_ looking for trouble. So, what do we do now?"

"Well, since you and your friend are OK, we don't need to go out tonight. Our scouts have reported the troll retreat back to their cave. Also, there have been 4 more trolls, who joined the group in the cave. And there might be more. We're still not sure what causes them to gather like this, usually they stay apart from each other. I doubt that this is some sort of coincidence, so we'll have to figure out both the reason for them coming, and the way to deal with them. My wings should heal by the day after tomorrow, and I will join you then. For now, I must ask you to fly around tomorrow, looking for anything unusual. Is that OK?"

"Yeah, totally, I'm on it. Rest and heal, I'll look after the place. You can count on me. "Jake smiled, reassuringly.

"Thank you, this means a lot to me. Also, here you go…" He pulled out a radio out of his pocket, and handed it to Jake.

"It's mostly like a usual radio, just empowered by magic. The signal is way stronger, and you can access the secret wave we use here for communication. It's labeled D." He got up, and put on his jacket.

"Good luck, Jake." He smiled, and opened the door.

"Goodbye, Michael." Said Jake, as he extended his hand

"Call me Mike" he said, shaking Jake's hand. And with that, he was out. Jake liked him, Mike was a pretty chill guy for someone from a rich family, and he liked that. Just then, he remembered something.

"I scheduled to see Rose tomorrow! Aw maaan, what do I do…"

AN: Hi! I won't post on Saturday, but I'll try to post a chapter on Sunday. Review, let me know what you think about the story. Cheers!


	8. Chapter 8

Rose opened her eyes. She seemed to be in some kind of an amusement park. The sky was blurry, constantly shifting colors of pink, orange and purple. Some silly tune was playing in the background. Suddenly, she realized- she was dreaming. This was odd for her, she wasn't usually aware of dreams. She felt something pulsating on her wrist, and saw the purple pyramid on her bracelet glowing.

She walked around, intrigued by the world she was in right now. She wanted to enjoy some of the rides here, but even more she wanted to explore beyond this park. She passed some rollercoasters, huge tents, ice cream shops and shooting games. Finally, she reached a door, standing just outside the park. There were no walls around it, and didn't seem to lead anywhere. She _knew_ however, that it led somewhere, so she opened it.

Beyond the door, was a long corridor, lit by a few green lamps. Doors were on both sides, and in the distance, she could see a huge, probably metal gate. A chilly wind hit her, and she shivered slightly. She was reluctant to go in, but her curiosity took the better of her. She stepped in, reading the signs on the door. They read: "Kinder garden" "Dinner at the Jaden Palace" "A game of hide-and-seek with Lily" "Losing Jackie"…

These were her important memories, she realized. Good and bad. She had a lot of fun with Lily in their grandma's house, and she was very sad when she lost her plush dragon toy she called Jackie. She kept walking, reading the signs, recollecting many memories.

Finally, she reached the huge metal gate. It had no name on it, instead, there was a chain with a few locks on it. There was a mark of a dragon on the gate, similar to the one she had on her arm. She frowned, and tried to recollect any big memories related to it. Nothing came up, so she tried to pull on the handles. No luck. She tried to kick the chains down, to no avail. She then decided, that she might find something in the park, to help with chains.

As she ran out of the door, the world suddenly started disappearing, like morning fog. She took one last glance at the gate, determined to get to the other side of it.

"Good morning sweetie, you had a nice dream?" Her mom was sitting on the side of her bed, stroking Rose's hair.

"Yeah, thanks mom. Did you call Lily today? How is she?" she asked

"I did. She's fine, she says "hi" and asked me to hug you for her. " and so she did. "Do you have any plans for today? Me and your dad wanted to check out the spa, want to join us?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll snowboard today, it was a lot of fun yesterday" she said "By the way, what time is it?"

"It's around 9, why?" her mother replied  
"No reason" Rose smiled

"Alright then, have fun dear" Her mother smiled, and walked to the door. Just before she went out, she whispered loud enough for Rose to hear "That boy looked handsome, don't be late dear" she winked and ran out, singing merrily.

"Moooom!"


	9. Chapter 9

Jake was nervously pacing around the house, trying to think of a plan for tomorrow. He had to patrol the area, in case the trolls would attack, yet he also agreed to meet Rose in the morning. He really wanted to spend time with her, yet his duty as a dragon was way more important. Perhaps he could quickly meet with her, and then go flying? But what if trolls were to come right then, while he was having a good time? A doppelganger then? No, no, no, he had to meet her himself…

As he was desperately looking for a solution, like a drowning man looking for a branch, he heard a noise in his pocket. It was the radio Mike has given him. There was static for a few seconds, then he heard

"Jake… Jakie… Jaaaake!" it was Trixie's voice

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here" he replied

"What do you mean "I'm here"?!" she sounded angry "Where have you been? We tried to reach you all day! What happened?"

"Well, I took the 5th path on the mountain, and things got a little out of hand. I'll tell you later. I won't be able to see you guys in the next few days either, you know, _that_ business" he said

"Well, OK, we were just worried…" just as she finished, Spud seemed to have taken away the radio from Trixie

"Hey, hey, did you find that girl?" he said

"Yeah, I actually did, she's great" Jake replied, smiling

"What's her name?" Spud asked

"Rose" as he said that, he heard static from the radio

"Could you repeat that? We're losing signal"

"I said her name is Rose" then some more static came from the radio

"Never mind, connection is terrible right now, you'll tell us when you see us. Over!" and he was gone

Jake put away the radio, and thought about Rose. He just couldn't get her out of his head. He had this weird feeling, like they've met before. But he couldn't possibly forget a girl like that… He decided to sleep on it. Maybe something would hit him in the morning. He walked upstairs for the first time, and found three rooms there. 2 rooms with huge beds, and a big spacious bathroom with a jacuzzi. He wasn't in the mood for long soaking, so he just quickly showered and got into bed. He thought he wouldn't be able to fall asleep at all, but he knocked out almost instantly.

He woke up in some kind of a forest. It was dark, and he had an eerie feeling, as if someone was watching him. He felt uneasy, and tried to shapeshift to fly away. He realized then, that he was already in his dragon form. He heard a scream then. It was desperate and pleading, so he rushed in the direction of the sound. He rushed past huge pine trees, pushing away the branches. Finally, he got to a clearing, and he saw the source of the scream. A unicorn was laying down on the ground, shivering, before it, was a giant shadow. Formless, and constantly shifting, it emitted so much hate and darkness, that Jake couldn't help but shiver himself for a second. The shadow spoke then, in a low, powerful voice that stroke fear in anyone who heard it

"It is futile, Gerda. You cannot hide, you cannot run from me. The child WILL be mine, and I shall have the great power that comes with it!"

"No… Never… I will lay my life, but I will protect her…"

"Ahaha, you WILL lay your life indeed! But that won't stop ME!" and with that, the shadow was gone, like smoke in the wind.

Jake rushed to the unicorn.

"Are you alright? Can you get up?" he said

The unicorn looked up, and smiled

"I am fine, for now. Thank you for coming, dragon."

"Who was that?" he said

"I dare not speak his name… But believe me, it is a dark and powerful enemy…"

"What was he after?"  
"My child, Elita. She will be born in 4 days, on the full moon. Once every five hundred years, the chosen one is born, the most powerful unicorn of it's generation. I tried to hide as best as I could, but it seems he found me here, and sent his wretched trolls to fetch me… I am in no shape to protect myself, or her…" she was breathing heavily.

"It's alright, I will take care of you. Where are you now?"

"Nearby. Forgive me for this secrecy, but I cannot risk telling you more. I am safe here, for now… The light of day is close, you have to go now. Do what you have to do, but remember this: _Do not trust the shadow"_

Jake woke up in cold sweat. Suddenly, things made sense. He knew what he had to do now, and he wasn't going to wait another minute. He quickly dressed up, grabbed something to eat, and rushed outside.


	10. Chapter 10

Well, Jake _thought_ he knew what he had to do. He spent the entire day flying around, looking for any signs of trolls or a unicorn lair. He was determined to either find the troll cave and take them on, or find the unicorn and ensure it's safety. He tried to reach Mike and ask for the cave location, but he wouldn't respond. He thought he saw Rose a few times, when he looked at the ski mountain, but he wasn't sure.

At last, exhausted, he landed on the spot near the lake, where he and Rose crashed yesterday. He saw rather fresh footprints on the snow, and somehow knew they belonged to her. She spent some time here, even made a snowman that he didn't notice earlier. It was smiling at him, which made Jake's heart warm. He looked around for some twigs, and added hands to it. He then took off his black beanie hat, and set it on top of the snowman. Pleased with his work, he looked around for more surprises from her. And sure enough, on a nearby tree, there was a big R carved on it. Jake smirked, and burned out a J below it, with his dragon breath. He wanted to add a "plus", but thought that it was way too soon for that.

He decided to leave a note, in case he wouldn't see her anytime soon. He took out his little notebook, tore out a page and made a tiny charcoal from a nearby stick.

"Something came up, sorry that I couldn't see you today. I like you"

He immediately burned the piece of paper, blushing a little, and reached for a new one

"Sorry, I had to take care of some important business, I really wanted to see you"

That one was instantly incinerated as well.

The cold wind was playing around with Jake's hair, as he was thinking of a good enough note.

"Sorry, I couldn't make it. If you still want to meet, I'll make it up to you. What do you like to drink? How was the riding today? J."

He wasn't really pleased with it, but it had to do. He had to make some kind of capsule, to prevent the note from getting wet. He found a branch, and spent some time making a hole in it with his dragon claws. When it was big enough, he decided to give some thought to the details of the branch itself. He cleaned it, and carved a simple Chinese dragon on it. When he was pleased, he made a cork with another piece of wood, and sealed the note in. He wanted to put it in snowman's hand, but it was too heavy, so he just lay it down near it.

He looked around one last time, and took off.

When he came to his house, he saw a note on the window. It read

"Yo Jake! This is Spud. We know you were busy today, and probably won't have the time and strength to make yourself a dinner, so we used your kitchen and prepared something. Nice house btw!"

Jake smiled, he was very lucky to have such good friends. There was spaghetti on the table, with some garlic bread on the side. The kitchen was a mess though, but it didn't matter. Food was still warm, so they finished not too long ago. It was the best spaghetti he ever had, he had to make something special for them too sometime.

He went upstairs, and turned the water on in the tub. As it was slowly filling up, he cleaned the table and the kitchen. He grabbed a can of soda from the fridge, and spent a good hour in the jacuzzi, finally relaxing. He was so tired, he almost fell asleep right there. But he finally mustered enough willpower to get out, and get in his bed. As he was preparing to take off to the world of dreams, the radio beeped.

"Jake, Jake, are you there?" it was Mike

"Yeah, I'm here. What's up?" he said

"How was your flight? Did you find anything?" Mike asked

"Nothing during my flight, but I had a dream yesterday…" he proceeded to tell Mike about what happened in his dream. There was a pause, then

"I see… Whoever this shadow creature is, it's bad news. However, apparently, it can't attack directly. It sent trolls to take care of the job, so dealing with them is the ultimate goal." Said Mike

"Yeah… Where is their cave by the way? I couldn't find it today"

"Your radio has GPS, I'll mark the location. Do not go alone though. Reports came in, more trolls have come to the cave. There should be about 20 full-grown trolls. I can't fly tomorrow still, wings are taking longer than anticipated to heal. We still have 3 days, so we'll go the day after tomorrow, at sunset. OK?" said Mike

"OK. I'll look over the are tomorrow, contact me if anything happens" said Jake

"Of course, rest now. Goodnight, Jake."  
"Goodnight, Mike"

As Jake set the radio aside, he had a creeping suspicion. What if Mike was the shadow? That would explain why he kept postponing the fight. And why didn't Gerda contact him, instead of Jake? But then, why would he invite Jake in the first place?.. A lot of questions, with no answers…

AN: Thank you so much for your kind words everyone! I'll keep writing as often as I could, as well as I could! You guys are awesome, thanks again! Cheers!


	11. Chapter 11

Jake had a quick breakfast, and dressed up. He left the radio Mike had given him, if it had GPS, he could track him down. Studied the map, and the troll cave's location, and ran out. He had to make a little distance between himself and the village, before he could transform. Even knowing the location, it still took him a while to find it.

It was a massive mountain, he felt a shiver down his spine, which might as well have been the cold. He circled around the mountain, looking for the entrance. It was located halfway to the top, partially covered by snow. Lots of footsteps around it, definitely not human ones. Jake transformed into his human form, and as quietly as possible, started making his way inside. He heard a lot of noise in front of him, if it weren't a mountain covered in snow, he'd actually believe that this was a volcano erupting. Soon, it was too dark for him to see, and he used his dragon sight. His eyes widened, and he froze.

He was on the edge of a huge pit inside the mountain. Another second, and he would be freefalling to his death. All over the pit, he could see the humongous bodies of white snow trolls, jumping around and smashing things. Some were asleep, a few were clawing on the walls, and a bunch of them was busy fighting each other. All of them were growling, shouting, roaring. They were impatient, excited. Suddenly, all went quiet. Even with his eyes, Jake couldn't see what happened. But he felt a dark presence manifest in the middle of the cave. Suddenly, he heard a voice. He heard it the night before, and now it echoed throughout the mountain

"Patience, my friends! It took long enough, but at last, everyone is here!" said the dark voice. Trolls roared in reply.

"We now know the location of that wretched unicorn! And at midnight, you will march to fetch me one of the most powerful artifacts in the world!" An even louder roar followed those words

"Let nothing stop you! And if anyone dares stand in your way- DESTROY THEEEM!"

A roar so loud followed, Jake felt the mountain tremble. He turned around, and quickly got out of there.

Jake flew to a nearby mountain, and landed on the very top. He sat there, watching the beautiful landscape around him, unsure of what to do. He should have called Mike, but what if his suspicions were true? He'd be telling the enemy that he knew his plans. And if he didn't, and Mike turned out to be a good guy, it would be strange of him not to tell.

The wind was howling around him, over the last few days it was getting stronger and stronger. There was some talk about a powerful blizzard coming, and it seemed that this was the night it would hit. It was good for trolls, and bad for Jake. They had no problem of traveling in it, while flying in blizzard for a dragon was extremely dangerous. He wasn't sure if it was some dark magic, or just a coincidence.

At last, he decided. He wasn't going to tell Mike. Even if he wasn't the enemy, he was in no condition to fight, and would risk too much. He would have to do it alone. A pretty heavy thought, but he didn't really have a choice. At least the way he saw things.

From the top of the mountain, he flew to their secret spot with Rose. Even from afar, he knew she'd been there. He could notice a pink scarf around the snowman's neck. He smiled, and landed as quickly as possible.

Aside from the scarf, there wasn't really anything else, which kind of disappointed Jake. He checked the capsule that he made, and sure enough, there was a rolled piece of paper inside. It read

"It's OK, things happen :) I'll be going for a tour tomorrow, I'll be back the day after. But if you can, I'd like to meet today. Come here, at sunset. I'll be waiting.

PS: I like hot chocolate :) R"

Jake's heart beat harder and faster, and a goofy smile was getting wider and wider, as he was rereading the letter again and again. He shouted

"Wohooo!" as he ran around, jumping up and down.

He didn't have anything to make a note with, so he just took her note and set the capsule back in place. She would understand. He then transformed, and dashed back to his house. He was gonna make the best hot chocolate ever.

AN: Sorry for these short chapters, but my free time is really limited right now. Things should clear out by the next week, thank you for reading this far! Cheers!


	12. Chapter 12

Jake sped through the forest like an arrow, with a dumb smile on his face. He forgot all his worries for the moment, and was focused on getting home as soon as possible, to start preparing the hot chocolate. He was completely oblivious to the world around him, to the unusual quiet, to wild animals stopping in their tracks and sniffing the air around them in alarm, to the eerie atmosphere that wasn't there before. He probably wouldn't see the shadow of a tree that definitely didn't belong to it, even if he stepped right on it. Nor would he see that the shadow had two glowing red eyes that followed him as he flew.

He transformed back before he reached the village, and ran to his dragon house. He threw his bag across the room, quickly took off his winter gear and proceeded to the kitchen. He rubbed his hands in excitement, and then a horrible thought struck him like thunder: he had no idea how to make hot chocolate.

He walked around the kitchen, looking through shelves for the ingredients of what he thought would be a hot chocolate recipe. He mounted it all on the table, which accumulated a huge messy pile of all kinds of foods and spices. He sat next to it, and stared at it for a while. Just then, his phone rang, which was rather odd, because everyone back home knew where he was. He picked it up

"Hello?"

"Hey Jake! It's Fu. Just wanted to check up on you, how's the mission going? Everyone said "hi" by the way!"

"Oh hey Fu, I'm not really sure, but I'll figure it out. Oh, one question, I need your help with brewing something."

Fu suddenly got excited: "Sure, sure! I don't know if you'll have all the ingredients, you might not find some stuff there for more elaborate recipes, but if it's something minor you could-"

"Hot chocolate."

There was a pause after Jake said that

"… Could you repeat that for me bud?"

"Hot. Chocolate. Chocolate that is hot and drinkable. You know, the stuff you put marshmallows on top and some cinnamon and maybe-"

"OK OK OK OK I GOT IT. Well, I mean, of course I know a damn good recipe, it's just that its kind of… sudden?"

"I'm not making it for myself! It's for…" Jake abruptly stopped talking.

"Oooh, looks like someone is adding pleasure to business! Sure thing kid, start writing. First, you'll need..." Jake quickly found a paper and a pencil, and wrote down the ingredients and the procedure.

Then he said:

"Ok, I think I got it. Thanks a lot man" he sighed with relief.

"Don't mention it. Could you at least tell me who you'll be making this for though?"

Jake was a bit embarrassed, and after a short hesitation muttered

"Rrrose…"

"Louder, kid, I can't hear you"

"Rose!" Jake might have blushed, he didn't know why it was embarrassing to talk to Fu about this, but he got over it quickly. Fu didn't respond, and Jake started to worry.

"Fu? You there bud?" He only heard some muffled noise, and didn't know what to make of it. Finally, Fu responded

"Yeah, I'm here kid. OK then, good luck with your cooking. And one last thing, are her eyes… blue?"

"Y-yeah, how did you know? Jake frowned

"Just a wild guess, kid. Oh, and change the marshmallows to whipped cream, will you? And sprinkle with shaved chocolate. She'll like that. Good luck!"

And with that, Fu hanged the phone. Jake was still a bit confused, Fu acted weird. Well, maybe people with blue eyes prefer whipped cream?.. He shrugged and put the phone away, preparing to start cooking.

Fu was rolling on the floor, laughing so hard that tears dropped from his old eyes. Or perhaps they weren't just laughter tears. He hit the small table, and a cup fell off to the floor, breaking to pieces. At that moment, Lao Shi walked in.

"And what is so funny, that you had to break one of my favorite cups?"

"They-" Fu kept laughing, and tried to squeeze words in between those laughs-"They actually did it!"

Lao Shi cocked an eyebrow-"Who did what now?"

Fu finally calmed down, and lay there on the floor, wiping his eyes. He looked at the wind chime, which moved just slightly, and quietly, almost cheerily chimed. As if it was happy too. Fu smiled

"They found each other, again." Fu lay there on his belly, wide smile on his face.

Lao Shi frowned, and pondered for a while.

"You should not interfere in any way. Nor should you help them. Young dragon has his responsibilities, and a difficult task at hand. Besides, even if something does… happen, their relationship will be a new one, with no memories of each other. "

Fu's smile widened just a little bit.

"You never know… Anyway, I just gave him a sweet tip, nothing much. Can't yell at me for telling him to add whipped cream, can you?"

It took Jake a whole hour to get the recipe right. He decided that he would bring it in a thermos, and take whipped cream separately, along with shaved chocolate. He still had a few hours before the sunset, to think about the upcoming night. He was playing with a few chocolate bars, which he stacked to form a mountain of sorts. He leaned on the table, his nose an inch from the chocolate mountain.

Finally, he sat up and hit the table in frustration. The pile of chocolate bars fell down, which left Jake staring at it. His eyes widened, and he rushed to the door. Just as he got dressed and was ready to go out, someone knocked. Jake shouted "Who is it?"

"It's me, Mike, I have good news!"

Jake was hesitant to open the door, but realized that he didn't have much choice either way.

"Hey Mike." Jake faked a smile.

"Yo!" Mike was beaming. "Can I come in? I have real good news for you"

"Sure, sure." Said Jake as he stepped aside.

"Wow, smells wonderful! Did you make whatever it is? Chocolate, I think?" Mike sniffed the air in delight

"Yeah… Th-thanks…" Jake was a bit embarrassed and hoped Mike wouldn't ask further about the chocolate.

"Well, great job then, I'm sure it tastes as good as it smells. Too bad, I'm allergic to chocolate. Anyway."

He suddenly got serious, sat down and looked at Jake.

"Our scouts found out something. Underneath the mountain that the trolls are occupying, there used to be a dwarf mine. It goes deep down, and scouts say there is a stash of explosives, for some kind of emergency need of sealing the place. Apparently, the dwarves were scared of something they found underneath, and weren't sure if they needed to seal place. I guess they decided not to, but the stash is still there. We can use it to collapse the base of the mountain, and trolls would be buried underneath it. How does that sound?" Mike faintly smiled at Jake, who had a serious expression throughout his speech.

Was Mike messing with him? Is this a trap? Or was Jake just being paranoiac. If what Mike said is true, then that is a great plan, but if he lied…

"And that's not all the good news." Mike continued, seeing, as Jake wasn't answering. "A good friend of mine, a talking black bear named Grima, says he got to spy on the trolls in the cave, and overheard a conversation today. He says they await more troops, and will be ready to move out in a month or so, so we still have enough time." Mike played a lighter that he got out of his pocket a while ago.

Jake had to think fast. This is where he decided whether to trust Mike or not. If he were the enemy, it would mean disaster. But he didn't feel like an enemy. This bear on the other hand… He felt like he heard that name somewhere before… He took a deep breath, and said

"Mike, we have to discuss something, and I'd like to do it somewhere else. Can you fly?"

Mike looked away in embarrassment, and said

"No, not really…"

"Ok, do you mind riding on my back then? This is important" Jake looked serious

Mike looked puzzled, but hesitantly nodded anyway.

They walked far enough for Jake to transform without anyone noticing, Mike got on his back and Jake took off. He thought he saw something big and black in the forest ahead, but it disappeared and he didn't make much of it. As he flew further away, he looked at the sun. He had less than 2 hours to do what he had in mind, that should be enough to get to Rose in time. At least he hoped so.

AN: There is no amount of apologies that can make up for the long hiatus, but I am very sorry for leaving you guys hanging like that. I hope I can redeem myself by posting longer chapters, as soon as possible. I love you guys!


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